The first full week after Labor Day reshaped the U.S. morning news race. NBC’s Today held on to first place in total viewers and the adults 25-54 demographic, but ABC’s Good Morning America showed the clearest momentum by growing in both measurements, according to Nielsen live+same-day data reported by Adweek.
Notably, Today was the only morning broadcast to decline in both measured categories for the week of September 7, 2026. That narrowed its total-viewer lead over Good Morning America to under 100,000.
Because Monday was coded as a special and Friday as a breakout, the weekly averages reflect Tuesday through Thursday only.
The headline numbers
- Today: 2.834 million total viewers and 598,000 adults 25-54, down 1% in total viewers and 5% in the demo week over week.
- Good Morning America: 2.742 million total viewers and 488,000 adults 25-54, up 1% in total viewers and 7% in the demo.
- CBS Mornings: 1.64 million total viewers and 247,000 adults 25-54, up 2% in total viewers but down 9% in the demo.
Today’s lead over GMA in total viewers shrank to 92,000.
Why the week moved
Good Morning America was the only program to finish up in both measurements week over week. Against the same week in 2025, GMA grew 2% in total viewers and was flat in the demo. Today was up 11% in total viewers and 4% in the demo year over year. CBS Mornings, by contrast, was down 10% in total viewers and 21% in the demo versus the same week in 2025.
CBS Mornings did receive a total-viewer lift tied to the return of Norah O’Donnell, but that curiosity did not translate into a stronger adults 25-54 delivery.
A methodological footnote: year-over-year comparisons use Nielsen Big Data plus Panel data for 2026 against panel-only data for 2025, so annual shifts should be read as directional rather than exact.
What this means for marketing and media teams
Morning TV remains a broad-reach environment, but these numbers show why audience composition matters as much as topline delivery. Today still offers the largest adults 25-54 base. Good Morning America offers week-over-week momentum and a tighter race. CBS Mornings offers a curiosity-driven total-viewer story but needs more consistent demo performance.
A simple planning frame is to balance scale and momentum: use Today for maximum 25-54 reach, GMA for growing audience segments, and CBS Mornings as a selective add once its demo stabilizes.
What to watch next
With holiday coding out of the way, the next full weekly average will be a cleaner read on whether GMA can continue its demo growth and whether CBS Mornings can convert total-viewer interest into 25-54 gains. Media buyers may want to wait for another week or two before shifting morning news allocations.
Source: Adweek
